For Day 7, I thought I'd turn to one of the more prolific children's poets out there, Colin McNaughton.

An adapted bit of fun:

Monday's Child is Red and Spotty
Monday's child is red and spotty,
Tuesday's child won't use the potty.
Wednesday's child won't go to bed,
Thursday's child will not be fed.
Friday's child breaks all his toys,
Saturday's child makes an awful noise.
And the child that's born on the seventh day
Is a pain in the neck like the rest, OK!

And an inspired original:

The Lesson
"Blether, blather, blah-blah, bosh.
Claptrap, humbug, poppycock, tosh.
Guff, flap-doodle, gas and gabble.
Hocus pocus, gibberish, babble.
Baloney, hooey, jabber, phew,
Stuff and nonsense, drivel, moo.
Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb, banter.
Prattle, waffle, rave and ranter.
Rubbish, piffle, tommy-rot, guff,
Twaddle, bilge, bombast, bluff.
      Thank you."

--Colin McNaughton



from There's an Awful Lot of Weirdos in Our Neighborhood & Other Wickedly Funny Verse, by Colin McNaughton. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1987.

When Hallowe'en comes around you can also take a peek at his Making Friends With Frankenstein: A Book of Monstrous Poems and Pictures (Candlewick, 1994) in which you'll find this brief gem:

Speak of the Devil,
Meet Cousin Neville!

(Note: when quoting poems online, always include a full citation for the collection from which the poem originated. If the poem is not in the public domain (i.e. is still in copyright) abide by the principle of Fair Dealing in your use of the work.)

Canadian poetry: as concrete as the escarpment

It's Day 6 of poetry month. Here is one of several Canadian collections I'll feature during April. And it won't be the only concrete poem on the list, either--that is if Blogger doesn't eat all my spacing.

Niagara Falls
Kapuskasing sings
             Cornwall calls
                    Thunder Bay storms
                                And Niagara
                                                 FALLS!

--Robert Heidbreder


from See Saw Saskatchewan: More Playful Poems from Coast to Coast, written by Robert Heidbreder; illustrated by Scot Ritchie. Kids Can Press, 2003.

(Note: when quoting poems online, always include a full citation for the collection from which the poem originated. If the poem is not in the public domain (i.e. is still in copyright) abide by the principle of Fair Dealing in your use of the work.)

Poetry month: #5

The Monster's Birthday
Oh, what a party!
They all ate hearty
of elegant bellyache stew.

Then came the cake
In the shape of a snake
and trimmed with octopus goo.

The balloons all went BANG!
And everyone sang,
"Happy birthday, dear Monster, to you."

--Lilian Moore

from Monster Poems, edited by Daisy Wallace; illustrated by Kay Chorao. Holiday House: 1976.

(Note: when quoting poems online, always include a full citation for the collection from which the poem originated. If the poem is not in the public domain (i.e. is still in copyright) abide by the principle of Fair Dealing in your use of the work.)

More, more, bring on four.

There was a pigeon,
A mighty flier,
His friends all called him
Pigeon McGuire.

But he perched upon
An electric wire--
And that was the end of
Pigeon McGuire!

--Langston Hughes

from The Sweet and Sour Animal Book, alphabet animal poems by Langston Hughes; illustrated by the students of the Harlem School of the Arts. Oxford UP: 1994.

(Note: when quoting poems online, always include a full citation for the collection from which the poem originated. If the poem is not in the public domain (i.e. is still in copyright) abide by the principle of Fair Dealing in your use of the work.)

Two by two leads to number three

Poetry month continues. And now for #3.

Ar-A-Rat
I know a rat on Ararat,
He isn't thin, he isn't fat
Never been chased by any cat,
Not that rat on Ararat.
He's sitting high on a mountain breeze,
Never tasted any cheese,
Never chewed up any old hat,
Not that rat on Ararat.
He just sits alone on a mountain breeze,
Wonders why the trees are green,
Ponders why the ground is flat,
O that rat on Ararat.
His eyes like saucers in the dark--
The last to slip from Noah's ark.

--Grace Nichols

from No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock: Caribbean Nursery Rhymes, written and remembered by John Agard and Grace Nichols; illustrated by Cynthia Jabar. Candlewick: 1995.

Might I also suggest: Under the Moon and Over the Sea: A Collection of Caribbean Poems, edited by John Agard and Grace Nichols; various illustrators. Candlewick: 2002.

(Note: when quoting poems online, always include a full citation for the collection from which the poem originated. If the poem is not in the public domain (i.e. is still in copyright) abide by the principle of Fair Dealing in your use of the work.)

Two for day two

Poetry month continues. Here are two for day two:

It's Hard to Lose your Lover
It's hard to lose your lover
When your heart is full of hope
But it's worse to lose your towel
When your eyes are full of soap.

--Anonymous


Keep a Poem in Your Pocket
Keep a poem in your pocket
and a picture in your head
and you'll never feel lonely
at night when you're in bed.

The little poem will sing to you
the little picture bring to you
a dozen dreams to dance to you
at night when you're in bed.

So---
Keep a picture in your pocket
and a poem in your head
and you'll never feel lonely
at night when you're in bed.

--Beatrice Schenk de Regniers



from Poetry By Heart: A Child's Book of Poems to Remember, compiled by Liz Attenborough. Chicken House: 2001.

(Note: when quoting poems online, always include a full citation for the collection from which the poem originated. If the poem is not in the public domain (i.e. is still in copyright) abide by the principle of Fair Dealing in your use of the work.)

A poem a day keeps the tedium away

April is poetry month. To celebrate I will post one children's poem a day for 30 days straight. Each poem will let you know just what book you can find it in. By the end of the month, I will have given you a list of 30, count 'em 30, books of children's poetry. No foolin'.

Raining Cats
It's raining cats,
A cataract,
A waterfall,
With felines stacked.
One, two, and three--
Catastrophe,
They're purring down
On top of me.

--Jane Yolen


from Raining Cats and Dogs, written by Jane Yolen; illustrated by Jane Street. Harcourt, 1993.

(Note: when quoting poems online, always include a full citation for the collection from which the poem originated. If the poem is not in the public domain (i.e. is still in copyright) abide by the principle of Fair Dealing in your use of the work.)